Brushed
Also known as: Napped, Raised
Finishing process pulling fibre ends out of a fabric or knit — the basis for soft nap.
Description
„Brushed“ or „napped“ denotes a finishing step in which the fabric is passed over rotating card wire rollers. Fine needle or hook wires grip individual fibre ends from the yarn structure, pull them out and align them into an even nap. Brushing runs in several passes with different wire pitch and speed.
After brushing the fabric is usually sheared (nap trimmed to defined height, 0.5-3 mm), polished and, if necessary, anti-pill treated. Brushable materials are all short-staple fibres (cotton, worsted wool, modal) and crimped man-made fibres (polyester, acrylic). Filament polyester is hard to brush and needs secondary texturing.
Applications: fleece (double-brushed polyester circular knit), molton (brushed cotton woven), winter sweat (brushed loopback), flannel (brushed wool twill). Benefits: better insulation, softer hand, opaque look. Drawbacks: higher pilling propensity, more shedding, thicker fabric. Care must respect the brushed character — 30-40 °C, no fabric softener.
Properties
| Process | Raising with card wire rollers |
|---|---|
| Pile height (typ.) | 0.5-3 mm |
| Handle | Softer, warmer, more voluminous |
| Application | Fleece, molton, winter sweat |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Napping (textile) Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napping_(textile)
- Textile Exchange Textile Exchange https://textileexchange.org/
